Ishwar Pandey is a tall fast bowler hailing from the town of Rewa in eastern Madhya Pradesh. He had nothing to do with a leather ball till his class 12 exams, when he walked casually into a selection trial for the Rewa divisional team with a few friends. A few months later, he found himself bowling for the MP Under-19 team. Five years later, he was the highest wicket-taker in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy, had played for India A, bowled at an India nets session, and had been signed by Pune Warriors in the IPL. In December 2013, after impressing on the A tour of South Africa earlier in the year, he received his maiden India call-up for the tour of New Zealand.

Pandey's father, a retired junior officer in the army, wanted his two sons to focus on their studies. It took Pandey's university coach to convince the former soldier to let his son pursue cricket. Standing 6'2" tall, Pandey bowls in the mid-130s, his height affording him bounce, even from a good length. He credits his father for both his broad shoulders and his athleticism.Abhishek Purohit